Automatic speed-governing device for internal-combustion engines



Nov. 11, 1 4- 1515,114

E. T. HULL AUTOMATIC SPEED GOVERNING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 19. 1920 man F FICE.

EDWARD 'r. HULL, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC SPEED-GOVERNING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filled June 19, 1920. Serial No. 390,191.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD T. HULL, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Speed- Governing Devices for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification. I

My present invention relates to improvements in automatic speed governing devices for internal combustion engines and is designed moreparticularly for use in connection with motor vehicles, though not necessarily limited to such use.

The invention aims to provide an extremely simple, economical and efficient device which may be readily applied to the motor and which in use will serve to automatically regulate the speed of the engine, i. e., maintain the same speed irrespective of the characterof the road, whether climbing or descending hills or traveling upon the level, and which will be provided with means accessible to the driver for varying the speed as necessary or desired, the action of the governor continuing automatic for each change of speed.

With these and other objects in view the invention includes the novel features of construction and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined by the appended claims.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. in which a sufiicient portion of a motor car engine is shown, largely in a diagrammatic or conventional manner, to illustrate the application of the governor thereto and its manner of use.

In this drawing:

The figure shows the governor and motor parts inside elevation.

Referring by reference characters to this drawing the numeral 1 designates a centrifugal governor which comprises a series of weights 1 carried by lea-f springs 1", the ends of which are attached to collars 2 and 3 which are slidably but non-rotatably mounted upon the shaft 4 in any suitable manner, as for example by the usual spline or feather key connection.

The shaft 4 is suit-ably journaled-in bearings 5 and 6 carried by the engine frame or crank case, the said shaft 4 projecting through the front bearings 5 and being" provided with a pulley? fast thereon which is driven through belt 8 from pulley 9 fast on the engine shaft 10, the pulley 9 being conveniently placed alongside of or form ing'a part of the usual fan belt pulley which is conventionally shown.

A rod or lever 11 is pivoted at its lower end on a fixed pivot 12 carried by the engine frame or crank case and carries at its upper end a fork 11 which engages an annular groove 3 in the collar 3.

An intermediate portion of this rod or lever 11 is connected by a rod '13 with an arm 16 on the throttle valve 15. From the foregoing description it will be apparent that, supposing the collar 2 to beheld against sliding movement on the shaft, and the engine to be in operation, any increase in the speed of the engine will cause the weights of the governor to fly out or recede from the shaft under the centrifugal action drawing the collar 3 and upper end of lever 11 to the left which will pull upon the throttle rod 13 and impart aclosing movement to the throttle which will have the elfect of reducing the speed of the engine to normal. Conversely if the engine begins to slow down, as in starting on an up grade the centrifugal force acting on the governor weights will be reduced and the collar 3 and lever 11 will move to the right causing the throttle valve to beopened to bring the speed of the engine back to normal. I

In order to provide means for positively varying the action of the governor and hence the speed of the engine I provide an additional lever 17 pivoted upon a fixed pivot 18 and having a forked upper end 17 engaging an annular groove 2 in the collar 2. Suitable means are provided for moving lever 17 and through take the form of a rock shaft 19 whic may be provided with any suitable actuating means controlled from a device on the steering port (not shown) the rock shaft carrying an arm 19 connected bya link 20 with the lever 17. If therefore it is desired to increase the speed of the engine at any time it is only necessary to rocktlie arm 19 in the proper direction (to the r ght) which would move collars 2 and 3 simultaneously to the right. and result in the opening of the throttle to a corresponding de gree. Thereafter the engine'would continue to operate at the increased speed as speed of the en long as the collar 2 is held in, the position to which it has been adjusted.

A reverse movement of the collar 2 will result in a corresponding reduction of the gine.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim is:

1. A device of the class described comprising an engine throttle, a shaft driven by the engine and formed with a spline therealong, spaced collars slidable along said spline, springs arranged between and connecting said collars to maintain the same apart, weights carried by said springs to move said collars relatively under centrifugal force, a link connection from one of said collars to the throttle valve of the engine, and a link connection from the other collar to a hand control located at adesired point.

2. A device of the class described comprising the combination of a support, an engine on said support provided with a throttle, a splined shaft on said support, means for rotating said shaft from the engine, spaced collars slidable along said spline, leaf springs arranged between and connecting said collars to maintain the same normally spaced apart, weights carried by said springs, two arms, each having one end pivoted to' said support and the other end connected to a respective collar, a link connect-ing one of said arms to a hand control, and a link connecting the other arm to the throttle.

3. An engine speed governor including in combination, an engine provided with a throttle valve and a driven shaft, a centrifugal governor comprising two collars, each slidably splined on said shaft and rotatably driven thereby, bowed springs connecting said collars together, weights carried by 1 said springs, a connecting one of said collars to the throttle valve of the engine, and a link connecting hand control.

In testimony whereof, I azflix my signature.

EDWARD T.

the other collar to a 

